Originally Posted on The Toolbox by Speedway Motors.
Frank, an employee of Eagle Motorsports Inc. (a sister company of Speedway Motors) took some time to discuss how to properly fit yourself to a seat, and mount it.
Featured in Frank’s article are Racing Seats and Kirkey Racing Products available at Speedway Motors.
Watch as Frank discusses how to properly measure yourself for a seat!.
Start by finding a table or bench, and assume what Frank refers to as the “race position”. Simply put, whatever style of racing you participate in, try to get into a similar position you would be in once in the car. Then measure across your hips, from one side to the other. Frank suggests placing some 2x4’s on the outside of your hips to get a solid measurement.
Once you have that measurement, you can select your seat. Once your seat is ready to be installed, there are a few things to keep in mind.
You should have a MINIMUM of four points of contact between the seat and the vehicle.
EMi recommends six points of contact.
Use large fender washers on both the seat side and the vehicle side to distribute the load when bolting the seat into the vehicle.
Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions when mounting your seat.
Frank wraps up with a note about your shoulder belts. Once the seat is in the vehicle, have the driver get in. The shoulder belts should be mounted one inch below the tops of the shoulders. The reasoning behind this is two-fold: first, it minimizes belt stretch, and second, it still allows the belts to come up and over the shoulder, and when tightened will pull the driver down into the seat securely.
To shop the full line of race seats available at Speedway Motors, click here. Or visit The Toolbox online at Speedway Motors for more Racing Articles.
- Betsy Grindlay on Jun 14, 2019
- Article Date: 6/14/2019 by Frank Galusha